Shi'Vatha nods. "The bodies should be stripped and buried. The heads separately in a different location. We should also carefully bury the family they killed. Additionally, we should check the house to see if there is anything we may need that is perishable, such as food stuffs. And we should leave a note letting any relatives or friends who come to the farm know what happened to the family." Shi'Vatha points to the family spiked up on their farm.
I disagree on the burial. Cremation is cleaner and less likely to draw scavengers or other influences.
"We are not alone. Someone else approaches."
Glornug turns to face the new arrival and nocks an arrow, but does not draw his bow.
"Greetings. Please, step fprward."
"I'm not sure that cremation would work. I don't think that we have the resources to create a hot enough heat to cremate everything. I say that we go with Shi'Vatha's plan. It's not like we have to be in Fairhill at a certain time. We can take time to do proper burials, I think all of the parties have earned that."
Shi'Vatha spits. "If I could, I would hang all four from the tree with a list of their crimes. But most Orcs do not read. I will bury the family." He still has a bloody slice in his back. The blood is not flowing, but he's not moving easily either. "I have not seen the newcomer before, they may be friends of the family. We should be sure they do not think we had anything to do with the deaths of the farmer and their family."
Shi'Vatha will then move to the family, and say a prayer over them before beginning to dig graves in the back of the house. His claws are not dangerous enough to attack with, but they should work well for digging graves.
"Greetings. Please, step fprward."
"Greetings." Echane responds, stopping a few yards away from the strange humanoid frog. "I heard the battle from my resting place. What happened?"
As Shi'Vatha walks toward the farm family, he says coldly. "Human and Orcs kill children. We kill human and orcs for crimes. Would revive them if could, explain why kill them, and kill them again if could."
"That sums it up, yes. We saw that this family had been killed, and we hunted the ones who did it. We were successful in bringing them down. My name is Glornug. May I ask yours?", he says to the newcomer.
She could be a threat, but there's no reason to act as such until I know. I'll let Corian decide whether to fill her in on the rest...
Looking at the woman, Corian, nods his head and says, "The one in the robes over there , has been following us. Him and his mercenaries were looking to kill us for what we carry. It looks like we managed to get the jump on him, but not before he took out the family that lived here."
Felicity gestures towards the farm. While I do not understand the purpose of manufacturing underdeveloped units, this group should not have killed them. In addition, the mage posed a substantial threat to our current employer. It was deemed tactically sound to neutralize that threat on terms advantageous to us.
[dice=Spellcraft]1d20+7
[dice=Spellcraft]1d20+7
[dice=Spellcraft]1d20+7
"My designation as a unit is unsuited for interaction. As such, i have chosen to be known as 'Echane' while traveling the lands.
Shi'vatha continues digging graves for the unfortunate family.
It takes most of the afternoon, but all of the bodies are buried. Corian decides that it is not worth the effort to trek for an hour or so before the sun sets. Would anyone object to staying in the farmhouse overnight?
Felicity has no objection to remaining here overnight, I will remain on watch with Shi'Vatha. This unit... I have no true need for sleep at this time.
Once the bodies are buried, Shi'Vatha will say a prayer to Muir.
"Goddess Muir, watch over these departed souls. They had surely done no sin great enough to be killed casually by such as their killers. Especially the young ones. Such casual disregard for life is an affront to all that is good." The furry creature then makes a sign for Muir. Turning to the rest, the normally happy go lucky creature looks drained. "I have no objection to staying for the night. Tomorrow, we need to find a temple of Muir. I need healing."
"I can provide healing for you, strange feline." Echane offers. "I have a variety of magic at my disposal, and one such word does repair mist organic units."
Shi'Vatha looks from Echane, to Felicity, and back again. "You two sound like long lost sisters. Am I going to have to explain mortal reproduction and generational racial survival to you tonight on watch as well?" Shi'Vatha asks, his tongue lolling out as some of his usual good humor begins to come back. However, the eidelon allows Echane to approach and attempt her healing.
Felicity looks down at Shi'Vatha, You are an expert on human reproduction?
Shi'Vatha looks up. "What is it with the focus on human? You're not human, I'm not human. I'm no expert on any reproduction, except perhaps planar spirit. However, I know enough of the basics of what most mortal plane life requires for reproduction that I can explain it to someone who isn't sure why children are needed." He shrugs, then winces as the shrug tugs on the open wound. "If you want details on how come an elf and a human can have babies but a dwarf and a human can't, you'll have to track down an alchemist or sage. But if you just want to know how mortal life staves off extinction, that I can answer."
"I would very much like to add that information to memory, but at the moment you require repair, do you not? I had assumed your damaged biology would be more important to you."
Shi'Vatha's tongue lolls out in full humor mode. "Oh, my apologies. I did not realize that your species couldn't listen and perform other actions at the same time. I'll be silent now so you can heal." The eidelon says with as straight a face as he can muster, which isn't very straight at all.
Selene leans in to look at Shi'Vatha a little closer, he head cocked to the side. "Are you an eidolon? With no master? Or are you, like me, merged as one? If you are in need of healing, I do have certain magics that specifically affect our kind."
Glornug croak-chuckles softly at the turn in the conversation, and turns his attention to watching the perimeter while the conversations are taking place.
[/b]"So," he says, without looking away from the treeline, "Do we intend to camp here, back in the forest, or shall we press on?"[/b]
Shi'Vatha looks at Selene, opens his mouth to answer, and then looks at the new android before reaching up with both hands to close his muzzle, obviously an attempt to not talk and distract Echane. He rubs at the scar on his forehead where his rune was burned off, and poitedly looks at the rune on Selene's head.
She looks at Shi'Vatha for a moment, noting the scar, and shrugs. "I suppose, we'll let our new potential companion provide the magic that 'repairs most organic units', then."
"You misunderstand, strange feline, you merely had not said you would like to be repaired by myself if others." How strange to need repair but not agree to being repaired immediately.
Shi'Vatha tilts his head until he's looking at Echane upside down, tongue lolling to one side. "I see, you don't understand hand motions then?" He repeats the motion with his hand he'd made earlier. "Non-verbal ok to attempt to 'repair the damage'."
"I see." She files that information away for later and points at the Eidolon, speaking the word to activate the repair program in it's form.
Shi'Vatha's wounds partially knit over, the skin closing and the muscle reknitting. But then it slows and stops. The eidelon stretches and winces. "Well, it's better. I guess I got spoiled having clerics on call."
Glornug croak-chuckles softly at the turn in the conversation, and turns his attention to watching the perimeter while the conversations are taking place.
[/b]"So," he says, without looking away from the treeline, "Do we intend to camp here, back in the forest, or shall we press on?"[/b]
Perhaps, Shi'Vatha, you should take greater care to remain undamaged.
You spend the rest of the afternoon digging graves for the family and your enemies. It's a long and arduous process, but it does get done before sundown. The farm takes on a quiet tone as the last of the dirt is packed down. As it is early in the Spring season, the field has not been planted yet, although it has been tilled. You figure that, with the farm, there is around 200 acres available for whichever relatives may appear (if any) to take over the farm. The inside of the house gives no indication that there are other relatives; no keepsakes or items that might indicate more than three people living here.
"How shall we handle the watch tonight? I am happy to go first. Shi'Vatha, you should get as much rest as you can, for that wound."
Shi'Vatha nods at Felicity. "You are correct, next time, I will allow you to play the part of the bait. Then you may beg for healing for doing your job." The feline says amiably. "Assuming you can survive four to one odds with only ranged backup, that is."
Shi'Vatha nods at Glornug. "I appreciate your thoughts, but I do not sleep. I can just as easily stand around and do nothing while watching, as I can while not watching. I shall take every watch, as a backup for those who are also on watch."
I also require no sleep tonight, I will remain on watch with Shi'Vatha. Rest Glornug, your turn will come.
"Sleep is a useful tool though. It allows for a much faster night, I find. Yes, several hours pass, but in the end it is more like a minute or two.
When I require sleep, or there is no reason to remain alertness, I will do so. Tonight, I will forgo maintenance routines.
Once everyone else has gone to bed, Shi'Vatha will explain to Felicity what children are, and why mortals have children, and the concepts of 'life span' 'potential' and 'species extinction'.
That is inefficient. Why not manufacture them as fully developed individuals able to immediately assume their assigned duties.
"Because mortals don't work that way, they are not like golems which are built. They are like seeds, which grow, mature, and then die. All that is alive dies. Even the spirits. Even the gods."
Glornug thanks the others for standing watch, and curls up in his cloak to go to sleep.
Staring at the open sky, Felicity whishpers Even my creator ...